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Chris Brown was sentenced today for the February 8th incident where he hit, choked, and threatened to kill his girlfriend Rihanna on the night of the Grammy Awards. Brown will be receiving five years of probation, 180 days of community service, and 52 weeks of domestic violence counseling. In addition, the judge extended a no contact order through 2014, over the objections of both Rihanna and Brown.

It’s nice to finally see an end to this long sad tumultuous story. Brown has previously discussed having grown up in an atmosphere of domestic abuse, and seems cognizant of his role in perpetuating the cycle of abuse. He talked about growing up with an abusive stepfather on Tyra Banks’ talk show in 2007, and has said regarding this latest incident that he wants to “take responsibility for my mistake.”

Domestic violence affects all populations, regardless of gender, race, or income level. One in three African American women will experience abuse in their lifetime, and 28% of the women who die from domestic violence are African American.

This is a serious problem, and public reaction to Chris Brown’s situation has not been, shall we say, very encouraging. Comments on the E! Online story about Brown’s sentencing range from “I STILL LUV U” to “she provoked him no doubt.” Hopefully part of Chris Brown’s community service will include some PSA spots about domestic violence, and not just a long stint picking up trash along the interstate.